


Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you

by orphan_account



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-19 14:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22579126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In which Buck and Eddie are impulsive idiots who decide going from friends to getting married is a logical thing to do.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 35
Kudos: 701





	Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you

**Author's Note:**

> I binged all of 9-1-1 in like a week, and I quickly got sucked into the fandom and Buddie. This is completely self-indulgent fluff. No beta, so let me know if there's a mistake
> 
> Title from Marry You by Bruno Mars

Buck’s been thinking about it all day. It’s nothing new; he spends most of his time each day thinking about Eddie, but this is different. Those days, when his thoughts stray to his best friend, he thinks in hypotheticals. What if Eddie kissed him, what if Eddie felt the same, what if, what if. But today he’s thinking more seriously. There are no more what ifs. Every time he looks at Eddie, all can he think about is finally kissing him because he’s finally realized what he’s been ignoring.

Eddie keeps giving him these curious glances and small smiles, but Buck doesn’t think he knows. Hell, Buck himself didn’t know until last night when Maddie had to basically slap some sense into him. No, Eddie doesn’t know how Buck feels, what Buck’s thinking, but now that Buck is looking, it’s hard to miss the way Eddie looks at him. It’s easy now to see the difference in the way Eddie looks at him and the way he looks at everyone else.

Buck thinks Eddie’s hopeful, the same way he is, and Buck keeps giving him smiles in return. For the first time since he first joined the LAFD, he impatiently waits for the end of their shift. For the first time, he’s anxious to leave the station, wanting to get Eddie alone.

Chimney keeps raising eyebrows at him, as if he’s waiting for Buck to make a move, because Buck doesn’t doubt that Maddie called him the second Buck left last night. Chimney knows that Buck knows and is just waiting to see what Buck does. He’s waiting for the chance to tease the hell out of them, much like they did when Maddie first asked him out, but Buck is determined not to give him the satisfaction. He’s already decided the first time he brings this up, makes a move, is going to be when they’re alone.

At the end of their shift, Buck showers and changes quickly, then waits for Eddie. It’s not unusual. He and Eddie spend a lot of time outside of work together. According to Eddie’s abuela, Buck’s an honorary Diaz at this point. Buck’s never felt so sure about anything in his life. Even with Abby, he wasn’t used to being in a real, adult relationship. He stumbled and tried to figure it out along the way. With Eddie, it feels like they’ve always been together. He’s sure of his own feelings and he’s sure of Eddie’s. There’s no guessing here.

“Wanna grab something to eat?” Eddie asks as he closes his locker.

Buck’s distracted, for a moment, by the way Eddie’s jeans hug his legs, the way his t-shirt shows all his muscles. He shakes his head. “Uh, yeah. Pizza?”

Eddie shrugs. “We can eat out if you want. Chris is with my abuela tonight.”

Great. The universe is aligning for Buck. Not because he doesn’t love Christopher, because he loves that kid like he’s his own, but he wants to focus on Eddie. He wants both of them to not have any distractions. This is important. This can and will change their lives because Buck isn’t an idiot. He knows this thing with Eddie is a forever type of thing.

“What about that burger place? That we went to a couple weeks ago.”

Eddie thinks for a moment. “Oh, yeah. That’s good.”

The restaurant is a good choice, Buck thinks. It’s not too fancy but it’s not too casual either. Perfect for a first date. Not that this a date. Besides, Buck thinks at this point, they’re way past the first date.

Before their shift started, Buck was worried that knowing about Eddie’s feelings would make things awkward, that Buck would have to avoid him as much as possible, but nothing changed. There was no awkwardness. That made Buck more confident with his decision to make this official.

Things are the same at the restaurant. They still joke and bicker. They’re still comfortable with each other. The only difference now is that Buck touches Eddie more. Little touches to his hand or arm. They touched before, too, but this is Buck making a conscious effort to touch Eddie. This is Buck knowing for sure that Eddie won’t brush him off or be uncomfortable.

(Really, Buck should give Maddie a thank you present because while she didn’t come right out and _say_ that Eddie was in love with him, she gave enough hints that even Buck understood what she was trying to say.)

Eddie’s still giving him curious looks, eyes hopeful, but he doesn’t mention it. Buck wonders if Eddie’s ever noticed or if he’s just as oblivious as Buck was. He can’t wait for them to go home (and, yes, he’s thought of Eddie’s house as home before; he thinks that was the first clue this was a forever thing). He can’t wait to finally kiss Eddie.

As they’re leaving, as if Eddie can sense something’s shifted, he rests a hand on Buck’s back as they walk. Buck loves him. He really, really loves this man. Buck smiles at Eddie, lets him know this okay, that Buck’s okay with Eddie touching him however he wants to.

“Beer and movies?” Buck asks, turning to face Eddie. Eddie’s hand doesn’t drop, just follows Buck’s turns and rests on his waist now. For a second, Buck thinks Eddie is going to kiss him, here and now, but Buck has a plan. “Your place?”

Eddie nods, his eyes flickering to Buck’s mouth, and Buck hates himself as he forces himself to pull away. “I’ll see you in a bit,” he says, his side feeling cold as he feels Eddie’s hand fall away. He glances over his shoulder as he walks to his car, and Eddie’s still standing there, staring after him, and Buck grins to himself. They’re gonna be great together. They’re gonna be that couple that’s so in love it’s disgusting, and he can’t wait to drive everyone crazy.

Buck beats Eddie home (for a second, Buck thinks he should text Eddie, make sure he’s not still standing in that parking lot). He grabs two beers from the fridge before going to sit on the couch. He’s nervous now. He’s never been with a guy before. He’s never been interested in one before, and that mixed with the thought that Eddie’s probably it for him has his leg bouncing nervously. He trusts Eddie, knows this will end up okay, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a little nerve wracking.

He takes a deep breath when he hears Eddie’s truck pull up. He takes a drink from his beer, sitting up straight when the front door opens. He can do this. Eddie is his best friend. Eddie won’t let him fuck this up.

“So, I was—” Buck begins, but Eddie interrupts by striding over and leaning down, kissing Buck firmly. He pulls away after a second, and Buck, almost on autopilot, follows, kissing Eddie again. This is right, he thinks. Nothing in his life (besides being a firefighter) has ever felt this right.

He smiles into the kiss. He doesn’t think he’s ever been this happy. He was happy with Abby, she was his first love, but this. This thing with Eddie is an entirely different feeling. It’s a type of love he’s never felt before. He thinks this is what people are feeling when they say they’ve met their soulmate.

When the kiss breaks, Buck smiling too much to really kiss properly, Eddie kisses the corner of his mouth, his cheek, the hinge of his jaw. Buck’s hand comes up to rest on the back of his head.

“This is what you want, right?” Eddie mumbles against his cheek, kissing him again before pulling back. “I’m not misreading things?”

Buck kisses him again, soft and gentle. He’s not sure he’s ever kissed someone so soft before. God, he’s becoming such a sap. Maddie and the 118 would laugh their asses off if they knew the thoughts that were running through his mind right now. “You didn’t misread anything,” he says, letting their foreheads touch. “You know I love you.”

Eddie pulls away, apprehensive all of a sudden. “Well, yeah, you’ve said it before, but I just thought—”

“Not as friends,” Buck quickly cuts in. He closes his eyes, takes a breath. “No, I mean, I do love you like a friend. You’re my best friend. But I love you as more than a friend, too.” He presses a kiss to the tip of Eddie’s nose, laughing at Eddie scrunching his nose in response. “I love you, Eddie Diaz. In a totally non-platonic, romantic way.”

Eddie laughs, bright and happy. “I love you, too, Evan.” He laughs again because Buck makes a face at the use of his first name, especially coming from Eddie. He presses close, their lips almost touching but not quite. “Did you plan this?” he whispers. “Was this a _date_?” He’s smiling, teasing.

Buck’s happy he was right, that nothing would change between them. “Think about it, Eddie,” he replies. “We’ve basically been dating since we met.” He kisses Eddie, a long, slow kiss that has him trying to melt into Eddie. When the kiss ends, Buck’s almost entirely in Eddie’s lap, Eddie’s hands on his waist, keeping him close. “Think about it,” Buck whispers, pecking his lips. “Doesn’t it feel like we’ve been doing this all along?”

Eddie nods almost absently, eyes fixed on Buck’s lips. He leans up, tries to kiss Buck again, but Buck laughs, pushes him back.

“No, I’m serious,” he says.

Eddie sighs dramatically. He wraps his arm around Buck’s waist, hand slipping underneath his shirt. “I think everyone had bets on when this would happen,” he says.

Buck chuckles because he knows for a fact that there is. He doesn’t know the specifics, but Chimney has let little things slip that’s made him aware of it. “Whoever wins should take us to dinner.”

Eddie smiles up at him, and Buck thinks he could spend the rest of his life staring at that smile. He thinks he’d do anything just to see that smile. And at that moment, Buck’s mind grinds to a halt. He _can_ spend the rest of his life staring at Eddie. He _wants_ to spend the rest of his life with Eddie.

He shifts from Eddie’s lap to sitting next to him on the couch, their sides pressed together. Eddie’s hand, still underneath his shirt, rubs his lower back.

“You okay, babe?” he asks.

Buck nods, thinking. He’s never thought about this before. Well, okay, he _has_ , but in an abstract way. Maybe one day…he’s never met anyone he actually thought about spending the rest of his life with. Oh, god, he can’t believe he’s even thinking about this. They _just_ kissed. The fact that he’s having these thoughts without having slept with Eddie makes it all the more real, makes him want to groan. This is crazy.

“Hey.” Eddie taps his thigh, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “You having second thoughts?”

Buck snaps out of it. “What? No! I love you, Eddie.” He presses a quick kiss to Eddie’s lips. “No, just the opposite in fact.”

Eddie furrows his brow, confused.

Buck sighs. If there is anyone who won’t judge, it’s Eddie. Eddie will probably laugh and make a joke about the irony of Buck suggesting the idea. “I wanna spend my life with you,” he says, not looking at Eddie, instead grabbing his hand, lacing their fingers together. “It feels like we’ve been together forever, Eddie. You know I love Christopher and your family. I don’t think I’ve ever been this sure of something in my life.”

Eddie lifts their hands, kisses Buck’s knuckles.

Buck chuckles. “Hell, at this point in most relationships, we would be thinking about marriage.”

Eddie’s silent for a moment, and then: “Let’s do it.” Buck looks at him, his turn to be confused, and Eddie nods firmly to himself. “Yeah, let’s do it. Let’s get married.”

Buck sputters. “W-what? Eddie, we can’t get married. We just kissed for the first time ten minutes ago!”

“I’m serious, Buck. Like you said, we’ve basically been dating since we met. That’s two years. We already know everything about each other. You’ve met my son and the family I have here. I’ve met your sister.”

Buck doesn’t know what to say. He does want to spend the rest of his life with Eddie, wants to marry him eventually, but this is insane, right? They can’t get _married_.

Eddie turns to face him fully, grabs his other hand. “Evan, you want to spend the rest of your life with me. I do, too. You’re it for me. My son is about one step away from calling you ‘dad’. We’ve already had a major fight. You’re part of my family. Why not make it official?”

Buck opens and closes his mouth because his heart wants to say yes. He wants to marry Eddie, become Evan Buckley-Diaz (because there’s no doubt in his mind that he’ll take the Diaz name), but his head is still screaming how crazy this is.

“You can say no,” Eddie adds after a moment. “It won’t change anything. We’ll be together, dating, and when we’re ready in the future, we’ll get married then. I just—I love you so much, and now that I have you, I want everything with you. I want to be with you, I want you to live here with me and my son. Hell, I want you to officially be Christopher’s other dad.”

“I don’t want to replace Shannon.”

“You won’t.” Eddie leans forward, kisses Buck gently. “No one can replace his mother. I’m not asking you to. I know how much you love him, and he loves you. If you want, and he wants, I think it’d be nice to have you be his other parent. Legally.”

It does sound nice. Really being a part of this family. Getting to say Christopher is his son. He’d still say it without adopting him, but the idea of legally being his father makes his heart flutter.

“You aren’t replacing anyone,” Eddie assures him. “You’re adding to this family. You being here, in whatever way you want, is what _we_ want.”

Buck thinks he’s about to cry. He _knows_ he’s about to cry. This is all he’s wanted for almost two years. Eddie’s right. This is a forever-type thing for them both. What difference does it make if they get married now or years down the line? “What kind of proposal is this?” he jokes, feeling the tears in his eyes.

Eddie perks up. “I didn’t realize you were particular about how you got proposed to.”

“You don’t have a ring. You’re not even down on one knee.”

Eddie rolls his eyes, but when Buck laughs, he can see the corners of Eddie’s mouth twitch upward. “I can’t give you a ring right now,” Eddie says, “but I can do this.” He shifts off the couch, sliding down onto one knee.

Yep, here come the tears. Buck wipes at his eyes.

“You’re my best friend,” Eddie begins. “You treat my son like he’s your own. My abuela already talks about you like you’re a part of the family. Besides Christopher, you’re the most important person in my life. You mean everything to me. You drive me crazy in a way no one’s ever done before. I love you so fucking much, baby. Evan Buckley, will you marry me?”

Buck nods, still trying to wipe the tears off his cheeks. Eddie’s face is bright and happy as he jumps up, giving Buck an almost desperate kiss. Buck doesn’t know if he’s ever been this happy. He laughs, a little hysterical. He can’t believe he’s getting married. He can’t believe he said _yes_. He hugs Eddie tight, not caring that he can feel himself crying on his shoulder.

Eddie kisses the top of his head, rubbing his back.

“I get a ring, right?” Buck mumbles.

Eddie laughs, kissing his head again. “Yeah, baby, you can get whatever ring you want.” He pauses. “Within reason. Because if I let you pick whatever you want, I’ll go broke.”

Buck grins because Eddie knows him so well. Buck would definitely somehow pick the most expensive ring he could find. He lifts his head. “You’d buy me an expensive ring even if you went broke?”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “I’d rather not go broke, but you’d look at me with those eyes, and I’d cave.”

“Good to know.” Buck laughs when Eddie gives him a flat look. He gives him a quick kiss before snuggling into his side, resting his head on his shoulder. “Are we insane?”

“Yes,” Eddie replies, “but what else is new?”

***

Buck wakes up in an unfamiliar bed. He lays there for a moment, staring at an unfamiliar wall for a second, before it hits him. That arm around his waist is Eddie’s. The body pressed against his back is Eddie’s. He’s in Eddie’s bed because they got engaged last night. He’s going to _marry_ Eddie Diaz.

Buck smiles into his pillow. Yeah, his life is pretty great.

A glance over his shoulder lets him know that Eddie is still fast asleep. He leans over to press a kiss to Eddie’s cheek before wiggling his way out of his arms. He stretches, staring down at the clothes scattered across the floor. He smiles at the memory of last night.

He’s digging through Eddie’s drawers when he hears a knock on the front door. Frowning, he glances at Eddie who is still fast asleep, snoring a little. Buck shakes his head because he can’t believe he gets to spend the rest of his life with this man. He grabs a pair of briefs and sweatpants from the drawers. Eddie’s a little shorter than him, but not enough that his sweatpants don’t fit.

He’s shrugging on a t-shirt when there’s another knock, this one louder and more insistent. When he opens the door, he’s not sure who’s more startled—him or Eddie’s abuela.

“Buck!”

“Hey, buddy!” Buck leans down to give Christopher a hug. He glances up at Isabel, who has moved on from startled to amused. “Good morning, Mrs. Diaz.”

“I forgot my key,” she explains. She hands him Christopher’s backpack.

“Is Daddy here?” Christopher asks.

Buck ignores Isabel’s look because she definitely knows something happened. Eddie doesn’t have a guest room, and the couch doesn’t have any pillows or blankets that suggest someone spent the night there. It’s process of elimination about where Buck could have slept last night. “Yeah, but I think he’s still asleep.”

Christopher nods, heading down the hall.

Buck blushes when he looks back at Isabel. “Um…”

“I’m glad to see you boys have worked everything out,” she tells him. She reaches up to pat his cheek. “I hope you two are happy together. Tell my grandson I expect to see you both at Sunday dinner.” She smiles, pats his cheek again.

Buck nods, still blushing. Once she’s gone, he goes to find Christopher. When he peeks into Christopher’s room, the boy isn’t there. There’s only one guess as to where he went. He sighs and drops the backpack by his door before heading to Eddie’s room.

Eddie, looking half-asleep, is sitting up against the headboard, Christopher tucked under his arm. Christopher seems to be telling him about what he and Isabel did last night. When Eddie sees Buck standing in the doorway, he gestures with his head. Buck sits on Christopher’s other side.

“Hey, Chris,” Eddie interrupts when Christopher pauses to think about what movies they watched last night. “Buddy, I want to talk about something with you.” When he has his son’s full attention, he clears his throat, shifting, like he’s unsure how to bring it up.

Buck grabs his hand that’s resting behind Christopher. He squeezes, gives him a reassuring smile when Eddie glances his way.

“Chris, Buck and I talked last night, and we…how would you feel if Buck came to live with us?”

Christopher’s eyes get wide. “Like forever?”

Eddie smiles, ruffles his hair. “Yeah, buddy. He’d live with us forever.”

Christopher turns to Buck. “Will you live with us? Please? I want you to.”

Buck smiles, nods, but says, “I’d love to live here with you, Chris.”

“Daddy, Buck’s gonna live with us!”

Eddie gently pulls Christopher toward him, kisses his forehead. “That’s not all, buddy. Last night, I asked Buck to marry me.”

Buck can’t see his face, but he thinks Christopher’s eyes have widened again.

“What do you think about us getting married? About Buck becoming part of our family?”

“Does that mean Buck will be a Diaz? Like us?”

“If he wants to.”

Christopher whirls around, throwing himself into Buck’s arms. “Please, please, say yes, Buck! I want you to be a Diaz.”

Buck hugs him tight. He really, really loves this kid. He wants nothing more than to be a Diaz like his boys. He kisses the top of Christopher’s head. “I’d love to be a Diaz like you,” he whispers.

He pulls back, hand touching Buck’s cheek. “I love you, kid.”

Buck thinks he’s going to cry again. He feels Eddie slide closer to them, one arm wrapping around Buck, the other going around Christopher, and this is where Buck wants to spend the rest of his life, in Eddie’s and Christopher’s arms. He takes a deep breath, trying not to cry, when Eddie kisses his temple. “I love you,” Buck says to both of them.

“We love you too,” Eddie whispers against his head.

***

In the parking lot of the firehouse, sitting in Eddie’s truck, they watch as Chimney bounces into the station.

“We should tell them, right?” Buck asks.

“As opposed to what? Just sending them a wedding invitation?”

Buck shrugs. “Serves them right for all the ribbing they give us.”

“You mean the ribbing they give you. They like me just fine.”

Buck glares at him. “You’re my fiancé. You’re not allowed to make fun of me anymore.” And that word, fiancé, makes Buck so fucking happy he feels like he can’t breathe. He’s been saying it, out loud and in his head, for the past two days. The excitement hasn’t worn off.

Eddie chuckles, leaning over to kiss Buck’s cheek. “Oh, babe, that’s not how it works. Being your fiancé just means I get a free pass to make fun of you more.” He laughs when Buck shoves him away. “Look, I know we haven’t really talked about it yet, but if you were thinking a long engagement, then no. We don’t have to tell them right now.”

Buck hesitates because he hadn’t even thought about that. A long engagement. He doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want to wait to be married to Eddie. “Were _you_ thinking a long engagement?”

“I didn’t say I was. I know this is kind of big for you. It is for me too. If you want some time to adjust to the idea, then there’s no rush. We’re getting married, whether it’s tomorrow or a few years from now.”

Buck looks at his lap, hand picking at lint on his jeans. “I…I don’t want a long engagement.” Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Eddie shifting, so he isn’t surprised when Eddie’s hand grabs his. “I don’t need time,” he tells Eddie. He doesn’t. He’s already accepted the fact that he’s a part of the Diaz family. He doesn’t need time to adjust to the thought of becoming a husband and stepfather.

Eddie squeezes his hand. “Hey, look at me.” He waits for Buck to look at him before asking, “Would it make you feel better if you told Maddie first?”

Oh. Yes, he thinks it would. Maddie is his sister, really the only family he has (he hasn’t spoken to his parents in years), and he would feel guilty if Maddie wasn’t the first to know. He nods slowly, digging his phone out of his pocket. “I’m gonna call her.” He should wait to tell her in person, he knows, but he’s also so excited he’s kind of worried he might let it slip during their shift today. If she found out from Chimney instead of Buck himself, she’ll be hurt. Buck knows he’d be hurt, too, if she got engaged and didn’t tell him.

Eddie kisses his knuckles.

Maddie picks up on the first ring, her voice smug. “It’s so nice to hear from you, Evan. Chimney told me you and Eddie went out a couple days ago. I’m assuming since I haven’t heard from you, you guys worked it out?”

Buck rolls his eyes. He’s never going to live it down that his sister had to give him a push to admit his feelings. “Yes, Mads, we worked it out.”

“That’s great! Oh, I’m happy for you, Evan.”

Buck clears his throat. “Thanks. Hey, listen, we have something we want to tell you.”

“We? Is Eddie with you right now?”

“Hey, Maddie,” Eddie calls.

“Hi, Eddie!” she calls back. “If you hurt my brother, they’ll never find your body.”

Eddie snorts as Buck sputters, immediately protesting that Eddie doesn’t need the shovel talk. “Honestly, Maddie, I think if I hurt Buck, all of the 118 will help you hide my body.”

She hums, pleased. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

Buck thumps his head against his headrest. “I hate you both.” Then, when he sees the clock, he says, “Right. Okay. Eddie and I are engaged.”

Silence. Just complete and utter silence. It’s so silent for several moments that Buck calls her name, making sure she’s still there.

“I’m…I’m sorry. I thought I just heard you say you’re _engaged_.”

“I did. Eddie asked me to marry him. We’re getting married.” It’s the first time he’s said it out loud to someone other than Eddie or Christopher, and he feels so giddy. He can feel the stupid smile on his face.

“W-what? Evan, didn’t you…you’re serious?”

“We realized we’ve already been dating for two years. Starting from a first date would feel like…backtracking.”

“Oh.” She’s quiet again.

“I know this is a surprise, but we’re happy. _I’m_ happy. I love him. We’re getting married,” he repeats softly, grinning at the soft smile on Eddie’s face. Maddie’s not mad, just caught off guard. Buck would be caught off guard, too, in her shoes. “I hate to cut this short, but we have to go. We’ll come to dinner one night. You can ask any questions you want then, okay?”

“Yeah.” She takes a breath. “Evan…I’m happy for you. I know how much you love him.”

Once Buck hangs up, he points a finger at Eddie. “Don’t you dare,” he says because he knows how much Eddie must be dying to mock him for what Maddie said.

Sure enough, once they’re out of the truck, Eddie’s wrapping an arm around his waist and teasing, “Tell me how much you love me.”

Buck laughs, shoves him away. “Just for that, you get to tell the team.” He dodges Eddie’s attempt to grab him, laughing as he jogs toward the station. He throws a look over his shoulder as he ducks into the locker room.

“We’re supposed to be in this together,” Eddie says as they change.

“Oh, I’ll be there, but you get to do the talking. Since you have such a way with words.”

Eddie gives him a flat look. “I’m gonna tell them you coerced me.”

“Coerced? How the fuck did I coerce you?”

Eddie waves a hand at him. “I’ll think of something.”

Buck snorts, shakes his head. He can’t wait to spend the rest of his life with this smartass. He dresses quickly, practically vibrates with excitement as he waits for Eddie to finish. When he’s done, Buck grabs his hand, tugs him out of the locker room.

Eddie lets himself be pulled. Buck thinks maybe he’s just as excited as Buck is. He can’t wait to see everyone’s shocked faces. He just hopes Maddie hasn’t managed to warn Chimney in the five minutes since they hung up with her.

Hen and Chimney are already bickering over god knows what while Bobby finishes making breakfast. When Chimney spots them, he whistles. “Look who it is!”

Buck blushes. He’s not scared of what they’ll say, he knows they’ll be happy, but a part of him is worried that maybe they won’t be. They might think they’re moving too fast, that they should take it slower, and Buck doesn’t know what he’d do if they didn’t approve.

It’s Eddie’s turn to tug Buck closer to the team.

“Aw, they’re holding hands,” Hen coos. She pretends to gag. “You two are going to be disgustingly in love, aren’t you?”

Buck gives her a small smile. He can see Eddie roll his eyes. “Can’t be any worse than Chim and Maddie,” he says.

Hen snickers at Chimney’s offended look. “We’re happy for you,” she says. “It was getting sickening watching you two idiots pine.”

Buck nudges Eddie, who nudges him back. Buck gives him a look, Eddie gives him a look back, and then they’re standing there staring each other, as if they’re playing a game of chicken. Buck breaks first, giggling when Eddie waggles his eyebrows.

Eddie seems proud that he made Buck laugh. “Come on,” he mumbles. He gently tugs Buck toward the table. They sit next to each other, sighing happily at the sight of the food Bobby puts on the table.

Eddie times it just right. He waits until all three of their teammates have food in their mouths before he says, “Buck and I are getting married.”

Bobby and Chimney immediately start coughing. Hen freezes mid-chew. Her eyes are wide behind her glasses, face completely shocked.

Buck looks down at his food, smiling to himself. Eddie hasn’t looked up from his plate, just stuffs some eggs into his mouth like he didn’t just drop a fucking bombshell on them.

Bobby, once he’s gotten his breath back, asks, “You’re getting married?”

Eddie nods, taking his time finishing chewing and taking a sip of coffee. “We’re getting married,” he confirms. Under the table, his hand comes to a rest on Buck’s thigh, squeezing gently.

Hen and Chimney exchange a look. “Are you joking? Have you been together longer than we thought?” Hen asks.

“No,” Buck answers. “We officially got together Friday night.”

“And when did this…engagement happen?” Bobby asks.

“Friday night,” Eddie replies. He takes another bite. “You guys have been joking about us dating for the past two years. You were right. We did things backward, but that’s okay.” He tries to steal a piece of bacon off Buck’s plate, and Buck slaps his hand away.

“Who proposed to who?” Hen asks.

“Does Maddie know?” Chimney chimes in.

Buck nods. “Maddie knows. We called her before we came in this morning. So, if she sounds freaked out when you talk to her later, you know why. Eddie proposed, by the way. I know you all think this was my crazy idea, but I’ll have you know that Eddie is just as insane as me.”

Eddie snorts.

“You got that right,” Hen mumbles. Louder, she says, “Diaz, you proposed to this boy on Friday, and he still doesn’t have a ring?” She shakes her head. “You two are disasters.”

“We’re working on it,” Eddie says defensively.

Buck pats the hand that’s on his thigh. They thought about going yesterday, but Eddie claimed they would have to take Christopher, and he wouldn’t be able to say no if Buck and Christopher ganged up on him (which definitely would’ve happened). Now Eddie’s talking about going on their next off day. Buck’s okay with that. There’s no rush. He doesn’t need a ring to remind him that they’re getting married.

“I can’t believe this is real,” Chimney says, shaking his head. “I mean, we all knew you two idiots would get together, but _marriage_?” He shakes his head again. “Our little Buck is getting married. Can you imagine saying that about Buck 1.0?”

“I think if Buck 1.0 got engaged to anyone, it would’ve been a sign of the apocalypse,” Hen agrees.

“You’re ruining the happiness,” Buck whines, but the team only laughs at them. He’s happy. He’s so happy that their team (his family, really) is happy for them. Shocked, yes, but this is a huge surprise. They probably thought he’d never get married. Hell, Buck himself didn’t think he would ever get married. The universe knew what it was doing when it brought Eddie Diaz into his life. He likes to think the same goes for Eddie.

***

Athena corners him before he can get back into the truck. Eddie’s over by the ambulance, helping Chimney and Hen with their two accident victims (both alive, nothing major). Bobby’s off somewhere, and Buck was putting the equipment back in the truck when Athena slapped a hand on the truck next to his head, making him jump.

Based on her expression, he’s guessing Bobby told her.

“Hey, Athena,” he says casually, trying not to feel guilty.

“Don’t you ‘hey’ me, Evan Buckley. What’s this I hear about you and Diaz getting married?”

“Oh, that?”

She nods. “Yeah. That.”

Buck finishes putting the equipment up. “Well, Eddie proposed. I said yes.” He glances at her, grins at her annoyed expression. “I’m sorry that Bobby told you before we did. Your husband needs to learn to mind his own business.”

“Don’t you start.” She takes her sunglasses off. “Boy, is it true you got engaged the same night you two got together? Because that’s insane.”

He shrugs. “Yeah, it is. But you know me, I’m impulsive. I must be rubbing off on Eddie.”

She gives him a flat look when he smirks at his own comment. “You’re coming to dinner,” she decides. “We’ll throw an impromptu engagement dinner. Since you boys are so _impulsive_.”

“Aren’t you the one who ran off to the courthouse to get married? Without inviting any of us?”

She straightens. “Bobby and I both were married before. This is different.”

“Eddie’s been married before.” He and Eddie have talked about eloping, just taking Christopher with them, but Buck, being the drama queen he is, wants an actual wedding. It wouldn’t feel right getting married without the 118 and his sister there, and he knows Eddie wants his family there, too.

(On Sunday, Eddie had called his family, knowing they’d all be together in El Paso, and told them the news; they were more shocked that Eddie was getting married again at all after the disaster that was his marriage to Shannon, but they all wished them well, even if Eddie’s mother was a little upset she hadn’t met Buck yet.)

(Isabel Diaz started crying because she was so happy; she and Pepa just wanted what was best for Eddie, and, according to Isabel, Buck is what’s best for him and Christopher.)

Athena sighs heavily, like she’s a second away from just hitting Buck. “Wednesday. Be there at seven, or I will send a squad car to come get you.” Over her shoulder as she walks away, she calls, “And make sure to invite Maddie!”

Christopher is excited at getting to hang out with Denny and Harry. He’s been talking about all the Legos Harry has since they picked him up from school. When they get to the house and Buck puts him down, he immediately heads toward Harry’s room.

Bobby watches him go with a smile before turning to Buck and Eddie. “Welcome,” he says. “Thanks for coming.”

“I mean, we want to be here, don’t get us wrong, but your wife threatened me if we didn’t show up.”

Bobby gives him a shrug because, yeah, that’s an Athena thing to do. It’s nothing new. “Anyway, everyone else is already here. Come on, we’re all outside.”

Buck wonders, as they follow Bobby outside, if everyone else remembers the last party they had here. The one where Buck coughed up blood and then passed out. Based on the way Eddie’s put a hand on his back, his body tense, Eddie definitely remembers.

Buck wraps an arm around his shoulders, presses him tight against his side. This is different. He’s healthy now. He’s not on blood thinners anymore. Unless the universe just completely and utterly hates him, this party should be underwhelming compared to the last one.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” Buck mumbles, kissing the side of his head.

Eddie pinches his waist. “Don’t jinx it,” he warns.

Maddie appears in front of them, hands on her hips. “Chim said you tried to make him choke to death,” she says.

Buck shoots narrowed eyes at Chimney, who grins and raises his beer. “Chimney is being dramatic,” Buck tells her.

“Oh, so it’s true that you told everyone else face-to-face, but all I get is a phone call.”

Buck wraps his arms around her. “Only because we both know Chimney can’t keep his mouth shut. He would’ve called you before I got to you.”

She huffs, arms coming up to hug him back. “You’re lucky I love you, Evan,” she grumbles. She pulls back with a sigh, eyes a little misty. “My baby brother’s getting married.”

“I bet you thought you’d never say that.”

She hugs him again. “Congratulations,” she whispers. She hugs Eddie next, whispering something to him that has him wincing before nodding.

Hen appears by his side, handing him a beer. “Eddie Diaz, what is wrong with you?” she demands, grabbing Buck’s left hand, shoving the bare fingers in Eddie’s direction.

Eddie holds his hands up. “Hey, I’m working on it, okay? He’ll get his ring. You busting my balls isn’t gonna make it happen faster.”

She narrows her eyes. “You’re lucky you’re so charming,” she says, making it sound like a warning.

Just then, Karen appears, reaching a hand out to rest on Buck’s arm. “Congratulations, Buck, Eddie. I hope my wife here isn’t giving you too much shit.” She gives Hen a look. “This is supposed to be a happy occasion.”

Buck’s always liked Karen.

“Is anyone else still confused how this happened?” Chimney asks, making everyone else pause. “How did you two manage to jump from just being friends to engaged? I can’t be the only one who’s thinking it.”

Eddie raises an eyebrow at Buck who shrugs. “You’re the one who proposed,” Buck says.

“You brought it up,” Eddie counters.

“I was joking!”

Eddie reaches up, squeezes Buck’s face between his hands. He smirks at everyone over his shoulder. “Who wouldn’t wanna marry this pretty face?”

Buck rolls his eyes, tries to get away, but Eddie only pulls his face toward his, chuckling. Eddie kisses him softly.

“I hate you,” Buck says, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Hen’s right. I deserve a ring for putting up with you. I deserve the biggest, nicest ring. It’s gonna be expensive.”

Eddie gives him another kiss before finally letting his face go. “I have no doubt in my mind it’s gonna cost me a lot.”

Karen nudges Buck, grinning slyly. “If you want some inspiration, just take a look at that rock on Athena’s hand.”

Eddie’s eyes go wide. Buck grins at the nervous look on his face. He would never ask Eddie to spend money he didn’t have on him, but it’s nice to make him sweat a little. “You know what, Karen? I think I will. Athena, can I have a look at that lovely ring of yours?” He bounces off toward Athena. He doesn’t need to look over his shoulder to know that Eddie probably looks a little faint.

“How’s Christopher taking it?” Bobby asks as they set the food on the table.

Buck can’t help the smile on his face. “He’s great,” he answers. “I think he’s more excited about this than we are. You should’ve seen his face when we first told him.”

“That’s great. I guess in his eyes, not much is changing.”

Buck shrugs and thinks about it for a second. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. The only difference now is that I’m going to be living with them.”

Bobby claps him on the shoulder. “I’m really happy for you, Buck. We all are.”

Maddie bumps her shoulder against Buck. “Everyone should be thanking me,” she says. “I was the one who knocked some sense into Buck. If it wasn’t for me, they’d still be pining.”

“I wasn’t pining,” Buck argues.

“Evan, you sat on my couch and whined about how nice Eddie’s arms looked for two hours. Two. Hours.”

“That’s not pining, that’s just admiration. You’re telling me you don’t admire his arms?”

“I don’t want to hear the answer to that,” Chimney says, a pained expression on his face.

“I seem to remember _someone_ commenting on how beautiful Eddie was when he first joined the team,” Buck taunts.

Chimney stares at him. “And I seem to remember someone who claims he didn’t like Eddie even though he was _clearly_ attracted to him.”

Buck points at him. “Hey, I never said I was attracted to Eddie when we first met.”

“Buckaroo, please,” Hen interrupts. “We _all_ could see your heart eyes.”

Eddie wraps his arms around Buck’s waist from behind, laughing against his shoulder. “Aw, did you have a crush on me, babe?”

“You know Eddie’s here, too, right?” Buck demands, but his hand comes up to rest against Eddie’s on his stomach. “Why is no one picking on him?”

“Because you make it so easy,” Hen replies, grinning cheekily.

“She’s not wrong,” Eddie whispers, kissing his ear. Louder, he says, “Look, he’s blushing!”

Buck should’ve stayed home.

“Alright, alright,” Bobby says, but he’s chuckling. “We’re here to celebrate Buck and Eddie. We can continue the mocking at our next shift.”

“Thank you, Bobby,” Buck says, sticking his tongue out at Hen and Chimney once Bobby turns away.

Eddie chuckles and pats Buck’s stomach once before letting go. “I’ll go get the kids,” he offers.

Hen nudges Buck’s arm. “There are those heart eyes again.”

Buck sticks his tongue out again.

***

“What do you think about August?” Eddie asks one night about two weeks later. It’s late, an empty bottle of wine sitting on the coffee table. Christopher’s been in bed for a while, and they’ve been watching movies, cuddled on the couch.

Buck, who has half-asleep, slumped over with his head resting on Eddie’s chest, hums. “August is hot,” he mumbles. “Why?”

Eddie chuckles, runs his fingers through Buck’s hair. “I meant for our wedding.”

Buck’s a little buzzed from the wine and beer they had at dinner earlier, so it takes him a second for his brain to catch up to what Eddie’s saying. His head pops up, eyes wide. “Really? I’m not complaining, but why August?”

Eddie flushes, refusing to meet Buck’s eyes.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Buck sits up fully, Eddie’s arm moving from around his shoulders to the back of the couch. “August is when we met.” When Eddie blushes more, Buck grins. “Oh my god! You’re such a sap! Aw, look that red face,” he coos, putting his hand on the side of Eddie’s face, tugging him toward him enough to kiss his cheek.

“I just figured since we don’t really have an anniversary…” Eddie shrugs.

“No, you just want spend the rest of our lives being able to point out that I didn’t like you when we first met.”

Eddie tries to look innocent.

Buck swings his legs onto the couch across Eddie’s lap, throwing his arm over Eddie’s shoulders. “I think it’s sweet,” he tells him. “August 25th.” Buck doesn’t even feel stupid for knowing the exact date they met. If he thought hard about it, he could probably recall the exact time, too.

Eddie smiles sweetly at him. “Yeah. August 25th.” He leans over to press a kiss to the corner of Buck’s mouth. Buck turns his head, catches Eddie’s mouth in a real kiss. They sit there for a while, just making out slow and sweet until Buck gets impatient, tugging Eddie toward his bedroom.

The next morning, while Eddie’s getting Christopher up and ready for school, Buck texts Maddie. With how busy they are with work and Chris, Buck knows they’ll never get a wedding planned by August (which is five months away).

(And Buck’s pretty sure they wouldn’t know where to start; Eddie’s been married before, yes, but he’s already told Buck that he was deployed for most of the wedding planning.)

Maddie, though. Maddie’s dropped hints about helping plan the wedding, and if that’s what she wants, who is Buck to deny her?

Buck just sends her the date. Maddie sends him back a ton of exclamation points. She follows it up with a list of possible venues because obviously she hasn’t been thinking about this at all.

Eddie grins when Buck shows him the texts. “She’s happy for you,” he says, kissing the top of his head. “Just be glad my mother and sisters are in another state.”

Buck tilts his head back, smiling up at him. “Elopement is still an option.”

Eddie leans down and kisses him. “And have my mother and abuela murder me? No, thanks. Hey, Chris, you finished? We gotta get going.”

Christopher nods, stuffing the last bite of his eggs into his mouth.

“Got your backpack?” Buck asks while Eddie clears the dishes off the table.

Christopher looks around before he says no. Buck grins, nodding toward the hallway. “Come on, kid. Let’s get your stuff.”

“Buck?” Christopher asks as they’re making sure he has all his homework.

“Yeah?”

“When are you going to move in?”

Buck glances up at him. “Well, buddy, your dad and I haven’t really discussed it.” Buck’s spent a lot of time at the Diaz house lately, but every now and then he’ll crash at his own apartment. He thinks with the rushed wedding, he probably won’t officially move in until after. Make things less stressful.

“Oh.” Christopher zips his backpack. “I want you to live with us. Daddy’s sad when you’re not here.”

Oh, Buck is going to tease the fuck out of Eddie later. But right now, he just pulls Christopher into a hug. “I’m sad, too, when I’m not with you. But soon, okay?”

Christopher nods. “I love you, Buck.”

God, Buck loves this kid so fucking much. He can’t wait to be able to say this kid is his. “I love you, too, Christopher.”

Buck’s phone seems like it’s continuously buzzing on their way to the station. He waits until they drop Christopher off before checking it. He has a dozen texts from Maddie, all about various parts about the wedding.

Buck groans, rubbing at his eyes.

Eddie reaches over to rest his hand on the back of Buck’s neck, squeezing gently. “You good?”

“Yeah. Maddie’s just blowing up my phone about the wedding already.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“So far, she’s mentioned the guest list, venue, tuxedos, rings, and invitations. Eds, I’ve created a monster.”

Eddie laughs, squeezing his neck again before removing his hand. “At least we’re not the ones figuring this shit out.”

Buck snorts. “Could you imagine? We’d end getting married at the fire house in our uniforms.”

“I know what you’re thinking, and we’re not getting married in our uniforms.”

“But you’d look so hot.”

Eddie, once the truck is parked, leans over to kiss him roughly, leaving Buck a little breathless. “Oh, baby, you haven’t seen me in a tux yet.” He flashes Buck a cocky grin before getting out of the truck.

Buck blinks, his mind a little scrambled. Fuck, he hates Eddie so much. It’s not fair to kiss him like that, _say that_ , right before they have to go to work. He glares at Eddie, but that only makes the other man pat his cheek and tell him how much of a kicked puppy he looks like.

“You’ve created a monster,” Chimney greets them. “All morning, Maddie’s been talking about your wedding. This is all she’s going to be talking about until August, isn’t it?”

Hen perks up at that. “August? Did you guys pick a date?”

“August 25th,” Buck replies. “Because Eddie here— “

Eddie slaps a hand over his mouth with narrowed eyes. “Yes, we picked a date.”

Bobby looks thoughtful. “I’ll make sure we have the day off,” he says.

Hen shakes her head. “You picked a date, but this boy still doesn’t have a ring? Eddie Diaz, am I gonna have to smack some sense into you?”

***

“What about this one?”

Buck glances over at Maddie’s laptop only to see yet another hotel pulled up. He shrugs.

Maddie gives him an unimpressed look. “Don’t shrug, Evan. This is important!”

Buck throws his head back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling, willing this nightmare to be over. Maybe if he begs enough Eddie will cave about eloping. “Maddie, we don’t want anything…big. Something casual, you know?”

Maddie hums, looking at the hotel’s webpage again. “You’re right, this is too fancy. Okay, what about something outdoors? There are some great—”

Buck reaches over and closes her laptop. “I thought I was coming over to hang out with my sister tonight.”

“We are hanging out,” Maddie replies. She gestures between them. “This is us, hanging out.”

“No, this is me hanging out while you obsess over the wedding. I thought we were going to watch a movie, complain about Chimney.”

She bumps their shoulders. “And why would we not complain about Eddie?”

“Because he’s perfect, obviously.”

Maddie laughs, which makes Buck smile, and says, “I’m going to tell him you said that. Want another beer?” she asks, nodding toward the empty bottle on the coffee table. She’s up before he can respond.

He twists on the couch to walk as she heads into the kitchen. “I’m just saying, I appreciate that you’re doing this for us, but I also just wanted to hang out with you. Like normal.”

Maddie finishes pouring herself some wine. Then, once she’s put the bottle down, she stares down at their drinks on the counter. “Evan, is there a reason you don’t want to talk about the wedding?”

He startles. “What? No, of course not. Why would you think that?”

She shrugs, crossing her arms. She looks a little worried. “You’re getting married in four months, but you haven’t done anything. The only reason invitations got sent out last week is because Eddie did them.”

Buck shrugs. “Eddie’s family are the ones coming from out of state.”

Maddie shakes her head. “What’s going on? Do you not want to get married? Eddie would understand. This is a huge step.”

Buck turns away, grabbing at his empty beer bottle to pick at the label. “It’s not that,” he admits. “I just…what if I fuck this up?” He scoffs. “I have such a great track record with previous relationships, what’s to say this won’t end up that way, too?”

“Oh, Evan.” Maddie abandons their drinks to hurry over to the couch, wrapping her arms around her brother. “It won’t. I know Abby hurt you, and I know you hoped Ali would be different, but this isn’t like those relationships. Abby was your first love. She helped you grow up. Ali was just a stepping stone, as much as I hate to phrase it that way. This, what you have with Eddie, is different.” She runs her fingers through his hair. “I think you’re scared because you know this is the real thing. You’ve never loved someone like this, and I know how scary that can be, but you won’t fuck this up. Eddie won’t let you.”

Buck chuckles. “He’s stuck with me now,” he mumbles.

“That’s right. It’s okay to be scared, but don’t let that ruin this. You and Eddie are gonna be great.”

Buck hugs his sister tight. He’ll never stop being thankful that she came back into his life, that he got his sister back. After a moment, he pulls back, wipes at his misty eyes, and asks, “Will you be my best man?”

Maddie looks startled.

“Or best woman, I guess,” he corrects.

“Really?”

He shrugs again. “Who else would I pick? I mean, Eddie would be my first choice, but I don’t think that would work very well considering.”

Maddie punched his shoulder as he laughed. “You asshole. Yes, I’ll be your best woman.” She hugs him again. “Does this mean we can look at more venues now?”

Buck groans. “You really are a monster.”

***

Chimney holds a piece of paper in front of Buck’s face. Buck immediately shouts as he and Hen are playing a video game and he _cannot let her win_. Not again. His pride is on the line. He needs at least one game that he can beat her at.

“Dude, what?” Buck demands when Chimney sticks the paper back in his face after Buck tried to slap it away. On screen, Hen finishes the race first. She lets out a laugh, not listening to Buck’s protest that she cheated.

“Uh huh,” she says. “I didn’t ask Chim to do that. I won fair and square.” She cackles, patting Chimney on the back as she gets up.

“This doesn’t count!” Buck shouts after her. He glares at Chimney. “What?”

Chimney waves the paper again.

Buck snatches it, brow furrowing. “What is this?”

“I got ordained,” Chimney says. Eddie, who was just coming up to find his fiancé, freezes at the top of the stairs, looking between them rapidly. Chimney, as if sensing him, turns and waves him over.

Eddie slowly walks over to sit on the couch next to Buck, who tilts the printed certificate so Eddie can clearly see it.

“Why?” Buck asks.

Chimney rolls his eyes. “ _Because_ , Buckaroo, I would like to officiate your wedding.”

Buck and Eddie exchange a look.

Chimney sighs dramatically. “Come on, it’ll be great. One more thing for Maddie to check off her list.” He grabs the paper back. “Great, glad this is all settled. See you on August 25th.” He walks away.

From a distance, they can hear Hen laughing again.

Eddie frowns at Buck. “What the fuck just happened?”

Buck shakes his head, slow and confused. “I think Chim is officiating our wedding.” He shakes his head again, glancing over at his fiancé. They both promised themselves and Bobby they would be entirely professional at work, but Buck doesn’t see any harm in placing a hand on Eddie’s thigh. “Is that okay?”

Eddie quirks an eyebrow. “I’d rather have Chim than a stranger,” he replies. “Are you okay with it?”

Buck nods. “It’ll be more personal. Even if Chim will definitely make some stupid jokes.” He makes sure to yell that last part, and sure enough, he can hear Chimney yell something back from down by the trucks.

“Don’t provoke him,” Eddie mumbles, kissing his cheek. “Hey, now that Hen’s done kicking your ass, wanna come work out?”

Buck gasps. “She did not kick my ass! Chimney cheated!”

“How can Chimney cheat if he wasn’t playing?”

“Was there a memo? Is it ‘Give Buck Shit’ day or something?”

Eddie stands and wraps his arms around Buck’s waist, kissing the corner of his mouth. “Baby, that’s every day.” He dodges Buck’s punch, heading toward the stairs. Buck, as much as he hates it, can’t help but follow, no matter how much he grumbles.

Chimney spends the rest of the week spouting off random, sappy sayings. Even time Buck or Eddie (or Hen or Bobby or even Athena) groan or make a face, he just smirks and adds it a list. What the list is, no one knows. Buck hopes it a list of things he definitely should not say, but with his luck, Chimney is going to break out every cliché saying he can think of during the ceremony.

When he complains to Maddie, she just reassures him that Chimney is taking this seriously. “He’s just messing with you right now,” she says.

Buck doesn’t believe her.

He says as much on their next off day while they’re looking at what has to be the fifth venue they’ve been to that day.

Eddie’s off with Christopher, looking at the (quite impressive) gardens.

Maddie rolls her eyes. “Buck, I promise that Chim is not going to embarrass you during your wedding.” Before he can protest, she continues. “What do you think about this one? We can have the reception here, too.” She’s looking at the pamphlet the coordinator gave her before letting them roam the grounds for a bit. “Look, they’ll put up tents. Oh, and they have a photographer!”

Buck glances around. He can’t hear him from this distance, but Buck can see Eddie’s head thrown back, obviously laughing at whatever Christopher is saying. The boy seems to be pointing out things as he walks with his father. Buck smiles. Yeah, this could be the one. He doesn’t really care, he knows Eddie doesn’t either, but if Christopher likes it, this is where they’ll get married.

“Hey, Chris!” he calls. When the boy looks, Buck waves him over. When he’s close enough, Buck picks him up, swings him around, smiling at Christopher’s laugh. He settles him on his hip, feels Eddie’s hand on his back. “So, buddy. What do you think of this place? Is it acceptable?”

Christopher looks around again, nodding. “I like this one,” he answers.

“I do, too,” Buck says, like he’s admitting a secret, and Christopher lights up. “This the one, you think? Is this where your dad and I should get married?”

Christopher nods firmly. “Yes.”

Buck grins, kisses him temple. “Okay. He turns so they can both see Eddie. “What do you think?”

Eddie puts one hand on Christopher’s back, the other rubbing Buck’s back lovingly. “If this is where my boys want to have the wedding, then this is where we’re getting married.”

Christopher cheers, throwing his arms around Buck’s neck in a tight hug. Buck hugs him back just as tight, smiling when Eddie leans forward to kiss Buck quickly.

Maddie, who has been off to the side, observing how happy her brother is finally, starts to head toward the main house. “I’ll go talk to the coordinator.” When Eddie moves to follow, she waves him off. “Stay. Look around some more. I’ll be right back.”

They wander the grounds some more, Buck relaying to Christopher what the coordinator explained to him and Maddie, pointing out where the chairs would be, where they’d set up the arch. After a while, Christopher starts to squirm, so Buck puts him down and lets him wander by himself.

Eddie and Buck follow at a much slower pace, hands laced between them.

“Can you believe this is really happening?” Buck asks, watching Christopher as he runs his fingers gently over some flowers.

Eddie gently knocks his shoulder into Buck’s. “Hate to break it to you, but this has been happening for almost two months now.”

“No, I know that. Doesn’t finding a place make it seem more real?” He stops, pulling Eddie to a stop, and faces him. “We’re getting married in three and a half months. You’re gonna be my husband.” He’s sure he has a stupid smile on his face, but he doesn’t feel like an idiot because Eddie has a dumb smile too.

“You’re gonna be Evan Buckley-Diaz,” Eddie says, and that makes Buck pause. Something about it just seems…off. This is what Buck’s wanted for two years, to be part of Eddie’s family, but hearing it, Buckley-Diaz, makes his heart clench. Eddie must sense something because he frowns suddenly, hand coming up to cup Buck’s face. “Hey, what’s the matter? You don’t have to take my last name.”

That’s not right either. He doesn’t want to be Evan Buckley. He wants—oh. _Oh_. “What if I didn’t keep Buckley?” he asks, suddenly very nervous, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck.

Eddie’s hand on his face forces his head up, forcing Buck to meet warm brown eyes. “What do you want?” he asks. “Don’t think about what I want or Christopher or anybody else. What do you want?”

“I want to be Evan Diaz,” he says without thinking. “I mean, Buck Diaz.”

Eddie, who knows how Buck feels about his parents, doesn’t ask if he’s sure. He just gives Buck a hard kiss, one that usually leads to more when they’re alone. Buck, if he wasn’t otherwise occupied, would grin because he knows how Eddie works. He knows hearing his last name combined with Buck’s first name probably turned him on so fucking much.

Buck pulls away when Eddie’s hand starts creeping up the back of his shirt. “I take it you’re okay with that?”

Eddie nods, trying to kiss Buck again, but Buck pushes him away with a laugh. “We’re in public, Eds,” he says, stepping back, his back feeling cold when Eddie’s hand falls away. Eddie looks disgruntled, like he can’t believe he has to wait to get Buck naked. Buck’s thankful Maddie’s coming out of the house because with one look, Buck thinks he’d let Eddie convince him to find somewhere more private.

Maddie’s holding a small stack of papers. “You two are the luckiest men on this planet right now,” she tells them. “Yesterday, someone called and cancelled the wedding they had schedule for August 25th, meaning it’s wide open. Well, it was. It’s now scheduled as the Buckley-Diaz wedding.”

Buck’s not one for signs, but just this once he’ll make an exception. What else is he supposed to think about someone cancelling their wedding the day before Buck and Eddie come to look at this venue? He thinks the universe is trying to make up for the shit it put him through with his leg and the tsunami.

Eddie wraps an arm around his waist. “Thank you for everything, Maddie,” he says.

She waves him off. “Don’t thank me yet. We’re not done.” She hands him a piece of paper. “Here is a list of everything they need to know before the date. Flowers, if you have a particular theme or colors, number of guests. They also have a list of recommended caterers who can work on such short notice. Same with the cake. Oh, and we still need to get your tuxes and rings.”

Buck grabs her free hand, squeezing. “Maddie, take a breath. Right now, let’s just enjoy this moment, okay? Tomorrow you can harass us all you want.”

She nods, taking a deep breath. “Okay.” She nods again, eyes floating around the garden. “This really is a beautiful place.” Then she starts crying. “I can’t believe my little brother’s getting married.” Buck, who’s always been a sympathetic crier, holds her right, feeling his own tears gathering.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Buck whispers.

Maddie nods against his chest, mumbling something back that Buck takes as “I’m glad I’m here, too.”

“Daddy!” Christopher yells. “Daddy, Buck! Look! The pond has frogs!”

***

Buck’s not surprised to see Athena already sitting at the table while Bobby cooks. Bobby mentioned she might stop by as it’s her off day. Buck just greets her with a hug and a kiss to the cheek.

“Where’s your better half?” she teases as she sits back down.

Hen doesn’t even bother to pretend she’s not snickering.

Buck slaps a hand over his heart, pouting. “You wound me, Athena.”

She rolls her eyes. “Mmhmm.”

Buck presses an obnoxious kiss to her cheek.

When Eddie shows up, Chimney not far behind, Bobby clears his throat.

Athena grabs her purse. “We have an early wedding gift for you boys,” she says, pulling out an envelope. She hands it to Buck. “This is from all of us.”

Buck, with a glance over his shoulder at Eddie, opens the envelope. He pulls out what seem to be tickets and another piece of paper. He unfolds the paper first, staring at a confirmation page for a rather nice hotel. He looks back at the tickets. They’re plane tickets from LAX to Honolulu, leaving August 26th and returning September 1st.

Buck looks up at his friends, his family, completely shocked.

Eddie is opening and closing his mouth, unsure how to say whatever’s he’s thinking.

“You bought us a honeymoon,” is all Buck can say.

Athena rubs his shoulder.

Hen says, “We figured you boys could use some time alone. Karen and I talked about it, and we’d love to have Christopher come stay with us. Denny would love to have him.”

Buck looks at his fiancé. Eddie looks a little dumbfounded, still staring down at the tickets. Buck rests a hand on his arm. “Eddie?”

Eddie snaps his eyes up. He looks like he can’t believe this is his life, that their friends would do this for them, and honestly, Buck’s thinking that, too. He never imagined he’d find this kind of connection with a group of people when he first moved to LA.

“This is great,” Eddie says, voice quiet. He clears his throat, meeting all of their eyes. “Thank you.” He stands, giving each of them a hug.

Buck follows suit, muttering a private thank you to Bobby because there’s no doubt that Bobby was the mastermind behind this whole thing.

Bobby claps his back. “You two deserve this,” he says. Buck hugs him tighter.

The bell, of course, goes off before they can sit down to eat, and they all rush to get ready, but once they’re on the truck, heading toward the accident scene, Buck and Eddie are back to thanking everyone.

Chimney waves them off. “Just bring us something back. Something nice,” he corrects. “Not some cheap gift you pick up at the airport.”

“We’re gonna find the cheapest souvenir we can buy,” Buck counters, just to see the look Chimney gives him.

“Eddie, control your man.”

Eddie shakes his head. “You think I have any control over him? Have you met Buck?”

Buck beams. “And you all love me anyway.”

***

Maddie’s freaking out. It’s understandable, Buck guesses, because the wedding is in two days, and Eddie’s tux (which had to be refitted after Eddie unexpectedly gained a bit more muscle because of his stress workouts) won’t be ready until tomorrow. It’s cutting it close, and Maddie looks like she’s two seconds away from snapping.

For the past two weeks, Chimney has come into work glaring at them. Now, though, with Maddie trying to make sure all the last-minute details are figured out, she’s even more stressed, and apparently she kicked Chimney out of her apartment last night after he tried to get her to take a break.

Chimney angrily points at Buck and Eddie, who are relaxing on a couch while Hen plays a game. “This is all your fault,” he snaps.

Buck raises an eyebrow. “Aw, cheer up, Chim. In two days, this will all be over, and you’ll get your girlfriend back.”

“She’s like a pod person,” Chimney grumbles. “The other night she was mumbling about centerpieces in her sleep.”

Buck shrugs, taking a handful of popcorn when Eddie offers him the bowl. “Sorry, Chim.”

Chimney flops on the couch next to Hen. “Man, this sucks. I miss my girlfriend acting like a normal, sane human being.”

Hen chuckles. “That’s too much to ask when it comes to the Buckleys.”

Buck throws a piece of popcorn at her.

Eddie leans over to clap Chimney on the shoulder. “It’s okay. When I get back, we’ll grab a beer and talk about how insane the Buckleys are.”

Buck points at his fiancé. “How dare you, Eddie Diaz. Maddie and I are treasures.”

Eddie and Chimney share an eyeroll. Chimney is still grumbling and complaining even as they get ready after the bell goes off. When he goes to get in the truck, Hen yanks him away, toward the ambulance.

“Thank you!” Eddie calls as the truck pulls out, grinning when Chimney flips him off as he gets into the ambulance.

Later, though, Buck doesn’t even remember what Chimney was complaining about that morning. No, all he can think about, as he sits in the hospital waiting room, is how much he hopes and prays Eddie is okay.

The fire they responded to wasn’t anything major, not burning too hot or too fast, but when Eddie went up to the second floor to check if anyone was up there (according to the neighbor, the homeowner’s oldest child often parked and used the back door, out of sight of the main road, and the neighbor was unsure if anyone was in the house or not), the floor unexpectedly collapsed, sending Eddie down to the first floor. A fallen beam landed on Eddie’s leg before could get out of the way.

Eddie came hobbling out of the house, Bobby’s arm around his shoulders, both shooing Buck away to finish his job. After the fire was put out, Buck hurried over to Eddie’s side, hating the way his face was twisted in pain.

“It’s broken,” Hen had told them, hand resting lightly on Eddie’s leg. “You need to go to the hospital.”

Buck had started to offer to go with them (he’d beg Bobby to let him off early if he had to) when Eddie shook his head, pulling Buck down to kiss him. “Go back to work,” he’d whispered. “It’s just a broken leg. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Later was now, with Buck and the others sitting in the waiting room. Apparently, because of the fall, they were worried Eddie might have a concussion or something, so, after putting a cast on his definitely broken leg, they kept him to run some more tests just to be sure.

It’s getting late. They’d been sitting there since they got off shift an hour ago. Christopher had fallen asleep slumped against Buck. Buck had tried to get him to go home with Eddie’s abuela, but he had almost started crying he was so upset at the thought of not being there with his Buck and his dad.

Buck had told them all they could go home, he’d let them know when he was allowed to see Eddie, but they’d all pretended not to hear him. Instead, Athena had offered to go grab some food.

Bobby sits on Buck’s other side, a warm hand resting on his shoulder. “He’s fine,” he says quietly. “This is just a precaution.”

Buck nods. He knows that, logically, but his heart doesn’t want to listen. His heart wants to see Eddie with his own two eyes, touch him, hold him. He wants to _see_ that Eddie is okay.

He must fall asleep because he jerks awake some time later. Bobby smiles at him, hand still on his shoulder after waking him up, and he nods toward a nurse.

Buck scoops Christopher up, the boy still sound asleep, and approaches the nurse.

“You’re Mr. Diaz’s fiancé?” she asks.

He nods. “Evan Buckley. Is he okay? Can we see him?”

She smiles at him. “Of course, Mr. Buckley. Besides his broken leg, and a few bruises, he’s perfectly fine. He’s asking for you, actually, if you’ll follow me.”

Buck looks over his shoulder, expecting the team to follow, but Bobby shakes his head.

“You two go first,” he says.

Buck nods, grateful, and follows the nurse.

Eddie looks tired, but he still opens his arms when Buck enters the room. Buck gently places Christopher on the bed, careful not to jostle Eddie’s propped up leg. Christopher immediately curls into his dad’s side, snuffling in his sleep.

Buck grabs Eddie’s hand, kissing his knuckles. “You scared me,” he says quietly.

Eddie hums sleepily. “I’m sorry.” He tugs on Buck’s hand. “Come here. Kiss it better.”

Buck laughs, leaning forward, pressing a quick kiss to Eddie’s cheek. “I don’t think a kiss will fix your leg, Eds.”

Eddie grabs the back of his neck, pulling him into a real kiss. “But it’ll make _me_ feel better,” he says, a dopey smile on his face.

Buck gives him another quick kiss. “Everyone’s waiting outside,” he says.

“Okay.” Eddie shifts, being careful not to jostle Christopher. “They can come in.”

When the team piles into the room (the nurse turning a blind eye because she knows they’re firefighters and helped rescue her sister in the tsunami), Eddie greets everyone tiredly. By the look on their faces, Buck assumes this will be a short visit. Everyone can tell how tired Eddie is.

“Glad to see you’re doing okay,” Bobby says.

Chimney narrows his eyes. “You did this on purpose.”

Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“You did this just to stress Maddie out more,” Chimney continues. Everyone else rolls their eyes. “No, I’m serious. You thought, ‘Hey, Maddie is already a second away from tearing her hair out, what can I do to finally push her to that?’”

Maddie, to no one’s surprise, does have a minor freak out. She’s rambling about getting Eddie a wheelchair, but Buck doesn’t think she’s actually stressed about it (especially not since Eddie has reassured her multiple times that he’ll be fine standing). Buck thinks she’s still trying to cope with the idea that her brother is going to be married.

Buck glances at her in the mirror. She’s fidgeting nervously with the bracelet on her wrist, twirling it around and around. Buck finishes his hair, makes sure it looks the way he wants it to, and then turns, going to sit next to her on the couch. She looks down at her lap.

“Maddie, Eddie wants to stand,” he tells her. “We’ve been over this.”

She nods. “I know.”

“Okay, so what’s up? I know this isn’t because of Eddie’s leg.”

She takes a deep breath, looking out the window. From this room in the main house, they can see the gardens where the chairs are all set up and their friends and family are talking while they wait.

Buck waits for her to collect her thoughts, reaching for his tie.

Maddie rolls her eyes when she sees him struggling to tie it, slapping his hands away. “How are you so calm?” she asks finally. “I mean, you’re the one getting married, but I’m the one who’s freaking out.”

Buck stills her hands, waits for her to meet his eyes. “Someone wise told me Eddie won’t let me fuck this up,” he says.

Her lips twitch upward, shaking his hands off to resume tying the tie.

“Eddie and Christopher are my life, you know? To me, this isn’t a huge step. This is something we’ve already been doing. This is just making it official.”

Maddie stares at him for a moment. “When did you become so grown up?”

“I think right after Bobby fired me the first time.”

That startles a laugh out of her, which makes him smile because that’s what he wanted, to see his sister smile. “Besides, at least now Chimney knows what he’s getting himself into.”

She punches his arm. “Oh, shut up!”

“It’s my wedding day! You’re not supposed to hit me!”

The door opens at that moment, Bobby looking torn as if he wants to come in or leave them be. He decides to come in. “Am I interrupting?” he asks.

Maddie shakes her head. “No. He’s all yours, Bobby.” She kisses Buck’s cheek. “I’ll see you in little bit, Evan.” She pats Bobby on the arm as she passes, closing the door behind her.

Buck gets to his feet. He spreads his arms wide. “How do I look?”

Bobby nods approvingly. “You look good, Buck.” Then he holds out a gift bag.

“Oh, no, Bobby, you did enough with the honeymoon.”

Bobby shakes his head, practically thrusting the bag into Buck’s hands. “This isn’t really a gift. More of a work thing.”

Buck gives him a confused look but takes the bag. He pulls out a uniform coat. He unfolds it, still confused. “I don’t get it,” he says, holding the coat up.

“Look at the back.”

Buck turns it around, eyes going wide when he looks at the bottom. Instead of BUCKLEY, there at the bottom sits B. DIAZ. “Bobby…” he whispers, running his fingers over the name. He figured he’d cry during the ceremony, but he didn’t expect to start crying before the ceremony even started. He wipes at his eyes.

“Eddie told me,” Bobby says. He opens his mouth to say more, but Buck’s hugging him tightly before he can. Bobby chuckles, patting his back. When they pull back, Bobby grins and says, “Welcome to the 118, Buck Diaz.”

Buck sniffles, hugging the coat to his chest. “Thank you,” he says, voice shaky. There’s no way he’s going to make it through the ceremony now. He’ll probably start crying when he sees Eddie, honestly.

Bobby gently takes the coat from him, placing it back in the bag. “Your name tag’s in here, too,” he says, but he wheels Buck around, toward the door, when Buck tries to grab the bag. “Nope, sorry. It’s time to go. Come on. You can stare at it all you want when you come back to work in a week.”

Buck glances at the bag as he’s pulled out of the room. He’s excited for his honeymoon, he is, but now he can’t wait to come back to work, just to wear his new name proudly. He’s so excited to be a Diaz like his boys.

Maddie starts crying the moment she sees Buck and Eddie standing at the altar together. Buck tries to keep it together long enough to get through the vows, but he starts crying as soon as he notices that Eddie’s struggling to keep from tearing up. They manage to stumble their way through their vows, and when Eddie slides the ring onto Buck’s finger (“Finally!” Hen yells from the audience), he takes a moment to wipe a tear off Buck’s cheek.

Buck puts the ring on Eddie’s hand, squeezing it. He loves the feeling of the metal on his hand. He glances at it, sighing happily. He’ll probably spend a lot of time staring at this ring. In fact, he’s already so distracted that he startles when Maddie nudges him. “What?”

Eddie’s chuckling, but Chimney rolls his eyes. “I now pronounce you husband and husband.” He jerks his head toward Eddie. “You can kiss him now.”

Buck moves without thinking, careful not to knock Eddie off balance, as he kisses him firmly. Buck’s never been this happy. He gets to spend the rest of his life with this man.

Eddie smirks at him after the kiss. “You’re a Diaz now,” he whispers.

Buck sighs happily, kissing Eddie again.

Chimney shoves Buck. “Go. We can’t have a reception if the grooms spend all day making out at the altar.”

They can’t really dance because of Eddie’s leg, so instead of a first dance with his new husband (and Buck doesn’t think he’ll ever get sick of saying that Eddie Diaz is his _husband_ ), Buck dances with Maddie. Maddie’s crying again, which makes Buck start to cry, and then the siblings are hugging each other in the middle of the dance floor, crying into each other’s shoulders.

Later, when Buck’s smiling widely at the sight and sound of all their friends and family having a good time, Eddie will put an arm around his shoulders and kiss his cheek before asking, “Everything you dreamed of, baby?”

Buck will nod, heart skipping a beat at the sight of Maddie and Chimney dancing with Christopher. He’ll lean into Eddie’s side and think about fucking lucky Eddie came into his life. He’ll watch his family talk and laugh, Hen and Chimney completely roasting him in their speeches, and he’ll think that he’ll never be as happy as he is right at that moment.

Then, as everything is winding down, Eddie will lean over and ask if “the new Mr. Diaz” wants to get out of there, start the honeymoon early, and Buck will think that he’s bound to spend the rest of his life this happy.


End file.
